KCRW Broadcast #195 for Saturday, December 22, 2012

See also: Henry Rollins: Gay Marriage Is Punk Rock

Fanatics! It is week four (fo!) of our month of Bowie. Of the five albums we are checking out, for me, Lodger is the most interesting. Over the years, I keep listening to it, trying to get different things to happen. I try to come to a conclusion as to its greatness / relevance in the Bowie canon.

Sometimes when I listen to it, I am amazed at songs like “Move On” and “Look Back In Anger” and then sometimes I listen to it, I conclude that this is a very talented man who is at that particular time, a little low on ideas or distracted but still needs to hand in an album. It almost smacks of “contractual obligation” at times. The song “Repetition” is sub b-side considering this is David Bowie. “Red Money” is the riff from Iggy's “Sister Midnight,” which started out in the Bowie camp as a Bowie/Alomar riff, so it's theirs, sure but it's old material re-heated. Yassassin sounds reliant on ground already covered by the song “Fame,” from Bowie's Young Americans album, which was also produced in part by Tony Visconti. When I listen to the album in this way, it's an interesting record but not as good as the albums that fall on either side of Lodger, Heroes and Scary Monsters.

I encourage you to read this very cool write up on Lodger by on the Quietus site Ben Graham.

There is enough on Lodger to keep me coming back and of all the Bowie albums we checked out this month, it's the one I want to know the most about as to how it was concepted and constructed. BUT before we get into any of that, we have a full hour of great jams. Our first five songs are grouped specifically for Space Brother #1, Joe Cole. Long may he stay in orbit.

I noticed that we really didn't get much into the new Melvins album this year. Blame it on the fog of tour! Another track from their very, very happening Freak Puke album.

Cool track, a fantastic Bill Evans album, Live At Art D'Lugoff's: Top Of The Gate, made from recently discovered live tapes. Check the quality! It's not one of those bad sounding “discoveries” this is real Jazz pay dirt. Hats off to the mighty Resonance Records for putting this out. Thanks to producer Zev Feldman for helping to bring this true treasure to light. Talk a take-me-to-my-happy-place release! I spent a good part of last Sunday afternoon with this album, Evans' power and inventive drive are captured here so well. This is really one to check out.

Last track for hour 1, a new record on Teenbeat by Stick Insect! From the site:

“Stick Insect is the moniker for Jeannine Durfee's solo songs. She has recorded with Phil Krauth and Viva Satellite! as well as being a member of the Gazeteers and the Sisterhood of Convoluted Thinkers. Her double bass guitar sound is sometimes reminiscent of Flin Flon but enters quite another stratosphere with the inspiration of Japanese pop music.”

This is a cool release from a cool label.

Tonight's version of Lodger is the RCA German CD mastering. Sounds good. Interesting album for you interesting Fanatics.

We Finish our show with a Lodger era track that was included on the Ryko CD release, Le Butcherettes and Prehensile Monkeytailed Skink. Perfecto!

We, the Big Three, cannot wait to be back with you live on the air on tha K this Saturday. Prepare yourself appropriately and STAY FANATIC!!!

Read Henry's tracklist below.

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Hour 1

01. Black Sabbath – Paranoid / Paranoid

02. Butthole Surfers – Graveyard / Locust Abortion Technician

03. Devo – Auto Modown / Hardcore Devo Volume 1

04. Mississippi Fred McDowell – Trouble Everywhere I Go / Mississippi Fred McDowell

05. Jimi Hendrix – Voodoo Chile (Slight Return) / Electric Ladyland

06. Minutemen – Cut / Buzz or Howl Under the Influence of Heat

07. Ty Segall Band – The Bag I'm In / Slaughterhouse

08. Trin Tran – Form Unit / Dark Radar

09. Anon – Sat Tee Touy (Look At The Owl) / Cambodian Cassette Archives Vol. 1

10. The Drifters – Sometimes I Wonder / Rockin' & Driftin': The Drifters box set

11. Los Shakers – Break It All / Nuggets II

12. Manu Chao – Y Ahora Que ? / La Radiolina

13. Hawkwind – Standing At The Edge / Warrior On The Edge Of Time

14. The Melvins Lite – Leon Vs. The Revolution / Freak Puke

15. Jay Reatard – Waiting For Something / Blood Visions

16. Bill Evans – Turn Out The Stars / Live At Art D'Lugoff's: Top Of The Gate

17. Stick Insect – Mites / Circular Scratch

Hour 2

01. David Bowie – Fantastic Voyage / Lodger

02. David Bowie – African Night Flight / Lodger

03. David Bowie – Move On / Lodger

04. David Bowie – Yassassin (Long Live) / Lodger

05. David Bowie – Red Sails / Lodger

06. David Bowie – D.J. / Lodger

07. David Bowie – Look Back In Anger / Lodger

08. David Bowie – Boys Keep Swinging / Lodger

09. David Bowie – Repetition / Lodger

10. David Bowie – Red Money / Lodger

11. David Bowie – I Pray, Ole (unreleased recorded 1979) / Lodger

12. Le Butcherettes – I'm Getting Sick Of You / Sin Sin Sin

13. Prehensile Monkeytailed Skink – Colostomy / Bulb In Bulbophonic

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